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By Glen Avis
Tamarind is a sweet, spicy ingredient found in many global cuisines. It adds to the taste of many sauces, chutneys, curries, and candies, and in Mexican cuisine, it adds zip to cocktails, seafood and salsas.
Tamarind begins as a legume in a slow growing evergreen tree. Originally harvested in Eastern Africa, it now also is grown in many areas in South East Asia, India, Burma, and Latin America.
When started from a seed, the tamarind tree first produces marketable fruit in about five to seven years. The brownish legumes are harvested several ways: In some areas workers knock down the pods with curved bamboo poles; in other areas the trees themselves are shaken until the pods fall; and on advanced farms fruit pickers with telescopic handles are used.
The fruit is sold in a large number of markets including the Tarma market in Costa Rica, street food stalls in Mexico City, seafood shacks in Baja California, and to packagers such as Lea & Perrins in America. From there, the pods make their way into a wide variety of products ranging from tamarind sauces, Worcestershire sauce, and pad thai sauce.
Tamarind in Mexican Cuisine
Tamarind is found in a variety of Mexican dishes. It adds a unique flavor, a blend of tart and sweet that zips up beverages, meat and sauces.
On the beverage menu, tamarind-flavored aguas frescas are a popular and authentic drink. A simple recipe for that beverage is as follows: Peel 15 tamarind pods, removing as much of the shell as possible. Bring a quart of water to boil in a medium pot, and add the peeled pods and one cup of sugar. Turn off the heat and let the mixture soak for about 90 minutes. Remove the pods and seeds, leaving the pulp. Blend the mixture to create a smooth beverage, and strain out any remaining hard material. Add another quart of cold water. The result is a mildly sweet, tangy aguas frescas that will be popular with your customers!
Naturally, tamarind also is a good addition to many cocktails. Add tamarind syrup to your regular margarita recipe for a special twist. Kachina Cantina in Denver, for example, makes a Tamarind Margarita with astral, orange liqueur, fresh lime, agave and tamarind.
On the food menu, tamarind is often used in sauces in Mexican cuisine. Alebrije Mexican Restaurant in Duluth, Georgia features Tamarind Salmon, which is grilled salmon topped guajillo tamarind sauce and a tropical pico de gallo. They serve this dish with cilantro quinoa and a salad.
Another example of tamarind on a Mexican restaurant menu can be found at Alejandrina’s Mexican Cuisine & Cantina in Elmhurst, Illinois, outside Chicago. The restaurant offers an appetizer called Avocado Rolls – avocado, sun-dried tomatoes, red onions, fresh lime, and seasoning wrapped in egg roll shells -- served with a dipping sauce made with tamarind and honey.
Sometimes Mexican and Latin restaurants put a bottle of tamarind sauce on the dining table for their diners to season a dish to their tastes.
Do you use tamarind in a dish? If so, please let us know so we can share it with other readers! Send your info to editor Kathy Furore, kfurore@restmex.com
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